Q: You started learning music at a very young age. Can you talk about your musical history?

A: I consider myself very lucky to have had parents who ensured my continuous musical education, across two moves (one of which was across the country). Music has just always been a part of my life. Piano was my first instrument and I was exposed to a lot of classical music that way. I always enjoyed singing but was too shy to do it in front of anyone (even my family) until I enrolled at De La Salle High School as part of the voice program where I was a member of various vocal ensembles and took solo lessons. Choral singing played a big role in boosting my confidence as a singer. Throughout high school and university, I was dedicated to classical music but listened to singer/songwriters, jazz, folk and rock on my own time (growing up my Dad was always obsessed with jazz). Through other musically inclined family members, I discovered The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Pearl Jam, and most importantly Joni Mitchell. Her song “Big Yellow Taxi” was the reason I picked up the guitar when I was fourteen, determined to learn how to play it. Songwriting didn't come until my last year of university when I started feeling the need for a more fulfilling creative outlet than simply singing classical repertoire.

Q: You mention that artists like Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin as influences but the first artist that came to mind for me was Fiona Apple for a number of reasons but mainly in the fact that you mix jazz with pop/folk. How do these genres bounce off each other on your EP Satellite Moons?

A: I never compose with a specific genre in mind because I find this limiting. I use influences from all over the map in order to match the essence of the song, which for me always starts with the lyrics. I experiment a lot, playing things until they sound and feel right to my ears, even if to some people they might sound strange. The elements I most latched onto about Joni Mitchell were her song craft and the images she paints using words, the way she experiments with instrumentation, sometimes using unorthodox sonorities for her time, as well as her high vocal range, which as a former soprano I can identify with. These things show through most in the title track "Satellite Moons." For Joplin it was her bluesy sound, her unique inflection and the amount of emotion she conveys in her vocal delivery, all of which heavily influenced "Don't Say My Name." In "Victims of Habit" the presence of my favorite alt rock bands such as Mother Mother, the Black Keys and the Arctic Monkeys can be detected. "Like a Child" and "Morning Coffee" are very much inspired by the jazz music of my childhood.

Q: What are some of the themes that run through your EP Satellite Moons?

A: A lot of people ask me if the EP is entirely about one person. This is not true. Love is only one theme among many. "Satellite Moons" was about feeling stuck in a life situation that did not make me happy even though it seemed right at the time and wanting desperately to pursue my dream of being a musician, which was a risky move and terrified me. "Victims of Habit" is a carefree song about being reckless and not asking for permission (which is especially difficult for girls, I find, because growing up we are taught to be polite, to try to fit in and not to be so "dramatic"). It's an invitation to throw all those notions aside and it's especially liberating for me to play it because I get to make a lot of noise which I don't generally do in life. "Like a Child" was built off of a playful song idea that occurred to me in the shower. Only "Morning Coffee" and "Don't Say My Name" were composed with one person in mind.

Q: What was the creative process like? I see you played a majority of the instrumentation. Did the drummer for instance have any creative input or did you already know what you want?

A: My brain is very lyric-and-melody-oriented because I consider myself primarily a singer (an instrumentalist secondly), and these are usually the first elements I come up with. Chords, riffs and the feel of the song will come next. After that is when the band comes into play. It was wonderful working with Mike (on drums), Dean (on bass and guitar) and Szymon (bass) because of the creative input they had to offer. They were very receptive to my vision for each song. For example Mike would always ask me what the song was about and which sections I wanted to emphasize. I gave them free creative rein on their parts. They would then run their ideas by me and I would pick and choose which ones I preferred. They also played a part in the process of figuring out how to make the song work well when preformed by a full band, such as where to insert pauses and how to sync everything up rhythmically. Their contributions enhanced the songs very nicely and I couldn't be happier with the result!

Q: Do you play live? If so is the live performance stripped back or do you have a full band for that as well?

A: I play about one or two shows a month. Since its release on September 30, I've been performing the EP mostly full band, sometimes solo. The important thing is to be performing my music as much as possible in the hopes that I can reach people with it. If I can convey the full experience of the EP even better! So far I've been playing local shows in Ottawa but hope to expand soon to neighboring cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Kingston, etc.

Q: What else do we need to know about Christine Jakel?

A: It is important to me to be continuously creating and learning about my craft. Lyric and melody ideas are often playing in my head and I start to feel restless when I haven't written a song in a while. The creative aspect, I find, is the most rewarding part of what I do and my main long-term goal in pursuing music is to be able to make a living at it. For now though, in addition to performing and promoting the EP, I am working on material for a full-length album which will hopefully be put into effect over the next two years. To this end, I'm writing as many songs as possible and working on my guitar skills (which is my weakest instrument) in order to further develop my songwriting style and to continue to grow as an artist. ​